COPY JEWS AND CHINESE, MALAYS TOLD

(Taken from The Star Online on Sunday April 27, 2008)

PENANG: The Malays should emulate the Jews and the Chinese who are far-sighted in developing a progressive society.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the Jews, for example, would make development plans that would ensure they would excel for another 1,000 years.

“That's unlike us (the Malays), who only make four- or five-year plans,” he said at a dinner held in conjunction with the Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting at a hotel here on Friday night.

He said the Chinese in China also took measures to ensure collective success of their race.

He said that over the last 50 years the standard of living among Malays had improved tremendously.

“The question now is: where we are heading?” he said.

On another matter, Nor Mohamed said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had appointed him as the chairman of the Penang Economic Action Council.

Editor's note:

The editor, John Manjaji, is a Kadazandusun -- a race that has its origin in the northern part of Borneo. This race used to be known as skillful jungle farmers and hunters but now are more happy-go-lucky people, seemingly oblivious to the progressive threats they face from other races. When it comes to festivities they party hard ignoring the long term consequences of hangovers. I would say that in the next 4-5 generations (80-100 years) if this pattern continues, there will be no more Kadazandusuns in this world. Already their womenfolks are marrying Muslim Malays and prefers to be called "Malays" henceforth. And their men, they slowly are killing their brain cells with the deadly "tapai"!